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Planetary Sciences news
NASA starshade would enable astronomers to directly image rocky exoworlds
A NASA-led team hopes to take a shortcut to direct imaging of extrasolar Earth-like planets. The idea is to use what they call a hybrid telescope composed of an orbital starshade coupled with the next-generation extremely ...
Space Exploration
11 hours ago
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Meteorite dust holds records of magnetism that may have helped form the sun
Around 4.6 billion years ago, the solar system was little more than a giant ball of gas and dust. Over the next few million years, this "solar nebula" underwent a huge transformation, flattening into a disk of matter that ...
Planetary Sciences
11 hours ago
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How the sun's galactic journey and superflare-filled youth shaped Earth's climate
At the center of our solar system, the sun influences every planet that orbits it. In two recent studies, scientists uncovered how ancient events in the sun's history may have helped create Earth's unique climate and driven ...
Astronomy
11 hours ago
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New study reveals how space rocks become meteorites
What happens to a space rock as it falls through Earth's atmosphere and becomes a meteorite? By studying 75 meteorite falls captured on video and in photographs, researchers identified seven distinct phases in the journey ...
Planetary Sciences
13 hours ago
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JWST peeks at Callisto's ancient scars
Of Jupiter's four Galilean moons, Callisto is the one that gets the least attention. Io is constantly being resurfaced by volcanoes. Europa has a giant liquid water ocean. And Ganymede has its own magnetic field that interacts ...
Planetary Sciences
Aug 23, 2026
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Mars Curiosity rover discovers massive field of polygons
The surface of Mars is home to some of the most breathtaking and awe-inspiring landscapes in the solar system. This is primarily because the Red Planet lacks several resurfacing processes that Earth possesses, including plate ...
Planetary Sciences
Aug 22, 2026
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Earth's magnetosphere might not protect us from superstorms after all
Science seems like a straightforward endeavor. You come up with a hypothesis, collect data to prove or disprove it, and analyze that data to see whether the hypothesis is right. But anyone who actually does science will tell ...
Astronomy
Aug 22, 2026
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Stellar eruptions in the laboratory: First experimental evidence for their suppression in strong magnetic fields
An international team of astrophysicists and plasma physicists has provided the first experimental evidence that strong magnetic fields surrounding active stars can completely suppress coronal mass ejections. This offers ...
Astronomy
Aug 21, 2026
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New solar system models show Earth is no fluke
Over the past three decades, computer models of planetary system formation have gone from fairly crude representations to sophisticated simulations using thousands of different starting points.
Planetary Sciences
Aug 21, 2026
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Interplanetary spacecraft capture a coronal mass ejection component hidden from Earth
During a coronal mass ejection (CME), the sun hurls billions of tons of magnetized plasma into space. These eruptions are among the most powerful events in the solar system, and when they are aimed toward Earth, they can ...
China is launching a moon mission to find water ice
We've known for nearly two decades that some form of water exists on the moon. What we still don't know is exactly how much accessible water ice lies inside permanently shadowed craters, how deeply it is buried or what form ...
Space Exploration
Aug 21, 2026
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Japan to launch probe for Mars moons in October: Space agency
Japan's ambitious mission to collect and bring back samples from one of Mars' moons will lift off Oct. 20, the space agency announced Thursday.
Space Exploration
Aug 20, 2026
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Interstellar travel IV: Solar, magnetic, & directed-energy sails
Welcome back to our series on interstellar travel! In our first installment, we examined attempts to realize nuclear propulsion and how the technology could be used to reach the nearest star. In our second, we examined how ...
Astronomy
Aug 20, 2026
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Global sand dunes map reveals clues to distant worlds, including Mars
A new study from Monash University has delivered the most complete and accurate digital map of Earth's windblown sand dunes to date. The research, published in Nature Communications, answers long-standing questions about ...
Planetary Sciences
Aug 20, 2026
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Human-related microbes may survive moon's South Pole
Some of Earth's microbes likely to hitch a ride to space with human explorers could survive in the shaded nooks and crannies of the moon's South Pole region, NASA scientists say.
Astrobiology
Aug 19, 2026
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Interworld Slingshot: Exploring a new way to find resources in space
Before people can mine resources on the moon, asteroids or Mars, they need to answer a few key questions: What is there? How much is there? And where can it be found? A team led by SETI Institute research scientist Pablo ...
Space Exploration
Aug 19, 2026
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Mars attacks: How much dust from the red planet is safe to breathe?
NASA has released a report recommending an initial health standard for the Martian dust that astronauts could inhale during future missions. Although sending people to Mars is still years away, NASA needs to establish safety ...
Space Exploration
Aug 18, 2026
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NASA's LRO images Falcon 9 crater on moon, learns new details
Between Aug. 11–12, NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) captured a series of images of a new crater on the moon. The crater formed Aug. 5, when a SpaceX Falcon 9 upper stage impacted the surface following its Jan. 2025 ...
Space Exploration
Aug 18, 2026
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A single asteroid impact may explain the appearance of Mars' moon Deimos
Deimos, the smaller and outermost of Mars' two moons, is roughly oval in shape and has a deep depression at its south pole. Unlike its heavily scarred sister moon, Phobos, Deimos is covered by a loose layer of dust and rubble—a ...
Planetary Sciences
Aug 18, 2026
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NASA's SkyFall Mars helicopters will feature a revolutionary antenna design
From 2021 to 2024, NASA's Ingenuity helicopter became the first vehicle of its kind to explore the Martian atmosphere and surface. With that proof of concept complete, NASA is preparing to send a trio of helicopters to search ...
Space Exploration
Aug 18, 2026
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More news
Ruby-forming mineral found by Mars rover hints at violent impacts
How ancient trees are warning us about the next enormous solar storm
Japan aims for the moons of Mars
Neptune's tiny moons tell the story of Triton's destructive capture
What a dry meteorite tells us about water on Mars
Satellite constellations could create spiraling space debris
How to enjoy the solar eclipse safely
Moonquakes could reveal buried lunar ice for future explorers
A smarter way to track satellites beyond Earth's orbit
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The asteroid that may be three worlds
Uranus's unusual rotation makes its bow shock expand and contract each day
Super-Earths may be solid deep inside their mantles
Liquid nitrogen may have recently flowed across Pluto's heart-shaped glacier
How atmospheric dryness limits increases in typhoon rainfall
Assembly of giant wild sunflower family genomes unlocks potential for new perennial crops
Glacier retreat could promote the spread of diseases among bees
